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Coronavirus/COVID-19
What cancer patients, their families, and caregivers need to know about COVID-19.
Breakfast
 |
Sep 20, 2017 - 5:20 pm
Guess what I had for breakfast? I enjoyed sipping a "Breeza" on an empty stomach. With its splashy label featuring strawberries, banana, pineapple, kiwi, even calling it a fruit flavored beverage, I always want it to taste like a fresh fruit smoothie. And each time, I shudder with the first sip--the artificially flavored "fruit" and that terrible cloying sweet taste that coats my teeth. I have been so thirsty this afternoon. Yes, I had a CT scan this morning. I have an appointment with my hematologist next week and will try to put it out of my mind until then. I went to the scan alone, like a big girl, but my husband will be with me to get the results. Cheers, Rocquie |
Joined: Nov 2011
Powdered Hawaiian punch and Wally's raspberry tea
I buy those in small boxes of 8 envelopes at Wally's Mart. Dissolve one into a 500ml water bottle and it is easy to hydrate. Real flavor, and the Splenda is not a bad artificial sweetener. Since the steroids I take have produced diabetes, these powdered sugar-free drinks are great. Carried in purse or pocket, all you need is a stantard water bottle and you're good to go. Hawaiian punch, in particular, now comes in something like 5 or 6 flavors. I do like the raspberry tea though - that's Wally's own brand.
Joined: Mar 2013
Drinks
Po18guy, the drink I am joking about is iodinated contrast for CT scans, not a beverage for hydration. I guess my humor fell flat. Your clinic must use a different brand. . .
Joined: May 2012
Never
Roc,
I don't drink anything that has pretty flowers on it (well, without a perscription !), but did have two Busch Lites afterward, and said a prayer for your results to be perfect.
max
Joined: Mar 2013
Max
Thank you for your prayer. Now if they woud just make the contrast beer flavored. . .
Joined: Nov 2011
My bad! I blame chemo-brain,
My bad! I blame chemo-brain, poor short-term memory, morning fog, pre-coffee blur, general unawareness and I forget the other reasons! As to the lovely concotions for contrast, I contrast them with that which is palatable! We used to get this "berry smoothie" that was neither. Even the name was hypnotic suggestion at the most. Grayish-white gellatenous glop. As I recall, it exited must faster than it entered - a real bonus!
Not. Lately, they have a solution that is basically water. Clear, thin - watery. No real taste, but an awful lot of clear thin watery liquid to down in a short time. Why can't it be mixed with dark roasted coffee, for goodness' sake!
Signed: needs more sleep, more coffee, or both.
Joined: Nov 2011
Whole lot of psychology just in that label!
What if one is color blind or simply blind? Then the visual aspect is a moot point and it is just what it is. Hey, does that fit the bottle cage on a bicycle? On seing it, any other cancer patients could not remain silent! Let's start a contrast solution exchange so that we then know better what each of us is going through! OK, maybe too much coffee this AM...
Joined: Sep 2016
Hi Rocquie
I will keep my fingers crossed for you to be good results. I understand that you are "waiting and watching"? Are you following any nutritional diet?
Good luck,
Dana
Joined: Mar 2013
Dana
Thank you for your thoughts. Yes I am watching and waiting after being told of a recurrance about a year and a half ago. I already went through 8 treatments of R-CHOP and 2 years of Rituxan Maintenance. I have always been a healthy eater. I don't eat much meat, love all vegetables and grains. We eat a mostly plant based diet. That didn't keep me from getting cancer, but I am otherwise in good health--my cholesterol is good, my weight is good, my sugar is good, my blood pressure is good.
I don't take any medications. And I don't want to start unless I have too.
I will report back next week.
Thanks,
Rocquie
Joined: May 2017
Contrast beverage!
Ach, Rocquie, you've gone an reminded me that I have to drink contrast next week! I had completely forgotten...My preferred barium drink is the Cappucino flavor. But my isotope for the PET gets injected by a robot, which is way fun...
Joined: Mar 2013
Evarista
Oops, sorry about the reminder. The cappuchino flavor sounds good! I haven't had a PET in a few years, but the tech who administered by IV contrast was a person.
Good luck next week,
Rocquie
Joined: Feb 2015
breeza, shmeeza
May you fa breeza through your scans !
Joined: Mar 2013
GSP2
Thanks!
Joined: Nov 2011
One plus of transplant
If I had to guess, is that I no longer have scans. After 40+ CTs and probably a dozen PETs, I'm ready for a break. The last word is that after two years without treatment and no sign of either lymphoma, that I may be done with it. OK, reason to celebrate - but I think fighting it was easier than dealing with cGVHD from the transplant. I have exchanged contrast solution for daily prednisone. Fair trade???
Ah, but I have to be alive to have complaints.
Joined: Mar 2013
po18guy
I'm glad you don't have to have scans any more, but I would rather force that awful drink once or twice a year than take daily prednisone. I have had plenty of it, it is very effective, and I am thankful for it, but those side effects can be tough.
Best,
Rocquie
Joined: Nov 2011
In my prayers
'Scanticipation' of a clean scan!
Joined: Mar 2013
Po18guy
Thank you for your prayers. I will find out the results tomorrow. And I scanticipate good results.
Joined: Jul 2016
Rocquie
I remember having had to down one of those yucky barium drinks about a quarter century ago... Don't think they even bothered to give it any particular flavor back then...
Congrats on being a big girl for that dread breakfast.
Fingers crossed till next week's news!
PBL
Joined: Mar 2013
PBL
Thank you and I will report back next week. . .
Joined: May 2017
Praying
Praying your scan goes well.
Joined: Mar 2013
Sandy
Thank you for your prayers.
Joined: Mar 2015
contrast
Any time I have to drink that contrast I take the vanilla flavor. Doesn't make it taste better but it does lower my expectations of what it will taste like.
Joined: Mar 2013
Linda
I am given no choice. . .
Joined: Sep 2014
Hope it was chilled!
For me I need to drink it cold, I just down it like no tomorrow while never allowing to get warmer than when given to me.
Best of luck and prayers for a good scan.
I had my Onc appointment last week. He said wonderful words like stable, and I'll see you in six months and if all still goes well and perhaps longer in between the following visit :-)
I can't even imagine....
Joined: Mar 2013
007
I did refrigerate the Breeza, but couldn't down it! I was instructed to sip it contiously for an hour prior to the scan.
Congratulations on your great appointment last week. And thank you for your prayers.
Joined: Aug 2012
Hello
Wonderful news 007, I am so happy . Always thinking about you Roquie and hoping for the best.
Joined: Sep 2014
Thank you.
Rocquie and Illead thank you. I feel skeptical for some reason like I'm not allowed to feel relief especially when I'm so tired. The worse part was the excitement was killed by the loneliness of my peculiar circumstances. Yesterday I went to my mothers house to reveal my secret as I feel she should know especially when I'm doing so well and my health is fine and of course I was reminded again that this is my cross and I just can't burden her. She has been through enough with cancer with my father and her mother I just can't do it. Plus I feel guilty for doing so well.
So again a great big thank you, I really appreciate it.
Becky: I have been thinking a great deal of you and your husband and hoping all is well for all of us.
Joined: May 2017
007 Stable
So happy for you! Great group of people on here. Glad we have people to share with who know how we feel. Well at least to some extent.
Sandy Ray
Joined: Sep 2014
Thank you
Indeed, it's comforting sharing our concerns, victories or simply to ask a question. Besides there is no better cheerleader than someone who walked in our shoes.
Best Regards!
Joined: May 2012
"Walked in our shoes..."
007,
Yes, the cancer experience has to be experienced to be understood in the fullest sense. While society is more understanding of medical issues today than in earlier decades, one still encounters many of the old reactions, although they are not always spoken, you can sense them:
The ones I hate the most are the, "So-and-so has cancer; how long 'till he's dead ?" -- as if no cancer is curable.
Up until the 1970s, many people would not touch a cancer patient, for fear of "getting it." I witnessed old aunts decades ago who would not touch a relative dying of cancer, believing it contageous. Fortunately, few are that ignorant any more.
Or, "I'm sorry you're sick, I guess we just have really great genes in my family." Most cancers, especially blood cancers, are not believed to be genetic. When I hear that one, I think to myself: "Well, what is genetic is intelligence, and I obviously blew you off the map in that genetic area !"
And my all-time most despised (and the one that remains most acceptable today) is, "I always ate a no-cancer diet, so I guess I'm in the clear....Sorry about you." There is a close-to-zero link between Lymphoma or Leukemia and diet. Indeed, both are among the most common childhood cancers, which renders a diet link ridiculous (that is, children have simply not been eating enough years to have a diet-induced cancer, even if these were diet-inked).
I hope this old hit relates to your situation... It has a very 60's sound. Best listened to with round sunglasses on (think Janis Joplin) and while wearing a few strands of beads !
max
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofhw0lWpVZc
Joined: May 2017
"Empathy"
Max, I though you might enjoy this article: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_eye/2015/05/06/empathy_cards_by_emily_mcdowell_are_greeting_cards_designed_for_cancer_patients.html My favorite is "I want you to know that I will never try to sell you some random treatment I read about on the internet."
Joined: Sep 2014
Max, Digging it!
Groovy, I love music and its ability to transport, heal, romance, make us get up and move or even cry. Music is my therapy.
You are spot on with the reactions we all face. I too loath the "so and so has cancer" etc... I think you can relate when I tell you recently a former friend of mine had a cancer scare. Thankfully she is fine and never diagnosised. I kid you not, she is acting like she has or had cancer. She posted on social media how grateful she was that she caught it early. Then while out to dinner with a group of friends she went on and on about this and that then looked at me and said "oh well at least mine is not like yours" . Mine, yes is cancer and yours is not. I lovingly and politely told her that she is not in this club nor is she welcome here unless she is diagnosed. She was my dearest friend. Then my former oncologist was telling my husband of his cancer scare. With fear and elevated voice exclaimed "can you imagine being told you have cancer". He was my doctor (friend) and standing arms length away from me. I bet you can imagine how I felt. Both of these individuals are oncologist. I can't even make this stuff up. Absolute nonsense.
I almost forgot, another friend told me her cancer was her husband. Marital problems, seriously you can divorce him, I can't divorce cancer :-@
Donning my large circular glasses and turning the volume up, PEACE!
Joined: Mar 2013
Results from CT Scan
I had an appointment with my Hem/Onc yesterday to go over the CT scan I had last week. The findings were excellent. I still have the 2 "stable borderline" para-aortic lymph nodes but no other "pathologically enlarged or enlarging" lymph nodes. No spenomegaly and at diagnosis my spleen was huge. My doctor said if he saw this report on a person without my lymphoma history, he would think nothing of it. All blood work was good and in normal ranges.
Doc also pointed out that we are at 5 years from diagnosis and the importance of that milestone. He wants to see me again in 6 months which will be 5 years from completion of my R-CHOP. If all is still well, I won't need to see him for another year.
Wow! So happy to be here!
Rocquie
Joined: May 2017
Great news!
Great news Rocquie! Stay well.
Joined: Sep 2014
I'm so bloody happy
to be reading this fabulous news. Congratulations and I hope you did something splendid yesterday, today and everyday after that! Wahoo!
Joined: Jul 2016
So happy for you Rocquie!
Time to relax now...
PBL
Joined: Sep 2015
I am thrilled!
Great news!! i am soooooo happy for you! What a Milestone!
Joined: May 2017
Rocquie Comgrats
Wishing you the best and that many on this forum follow in your footsteps!
Sandy Ray
Joined: Aug 2012
Wonderful
I couldn't be happier for you, that is one big relief, I agree, hope you had a great celebration or planning one. As Sandy said, hope all can follow in your footsteps.
Thank you for sharing, you lift my spirits.
Becky